By Chris Maly (Adviser)
One of the most successful music acts to hail from Lincoln has re-formed and hit Lincoln music locales. If you speak to anyone familiar with the history of music in Lincoln, the band Mercy Rule often stands alone. The indie band is iconic of Lincoln’s 1990s music scene and obtained national attention long before bands such as Bright Eyes and Cursive began the talk-show circut. Consisting of Heidi Ore (bass/lead vocals), Jon Taylor (guitar/vocals), and Ron Albertson (drummer), Mercy Rule toured extensively in the 1990s as America’s indendent music scene went mainstream. Building on a loud, thunderous stage show, the three piece were a strong performance force that actively built a name for itself in the midwest. They literally lived up to the rock work ethos of tour/promote/record/repeat that spawned the Do-It- Yourself band movement of the 1990s that found a wide audience and inspired the Connor Obersts and Tim Kashers to follow suit. After an infamous show in New York’s legendary CBGB’s, Mercy Rule signed with Relativity Records and earned the accolades of Rolling Stone magazine who named Mercy Rule the “Best New Act” of 1994. Relativity Records re-issued Mercy Rule’s first album God Protects Fools (originally on Lincoln’s Caulfield Records) before releasing their label debut Providence. After their second album Flat Black Chronicles, the music industry shifted and Mercy Rule found itself at a crossroads.
Taylor and Ore were becoming parents and the music climate was shifting. Ron Albertson relocated to New York City where he joined the acclaimed punk band The Liars. After which, he lived as an artist in New York. It wasn’t until recently that Ore and Taylor re-emerged with the band Domestica. However, in a sudden turn, Mercy Rule joined the bill of the Lincoln music festival Lincoln Calling and the Lincoln scene was turned on its ear. The band returned with its signature sound (and signature flood lights) and a new generation of music fans could finally experience what had been discussed for years: a live Mercy Rule show. Consequently, in late December, Mercy Rule will share the bill with another legendary Omaha band, Mousetrap. It now appears that the Nebraska music scene is the healthiest it has been in years with shows as the past and the present are fusing to form a vibrant music scene. Mercy Rule, Mousetrap, Beep Beep, the Faint, the Monsters of Folk (Oberst and Mogis), and the Good Life (to only name a few — there are more worthy of mention) are all filling the holiday months in venues in Lincoln and Omaha for what could be the most compelling months of music Lincoln has witnessed in years.
